1.

FUTURISM IN ITALY/GERMANY
2. DE STIJL
3. AMSTERDAM SCHOOL

SUBIMITTED BY:
DIKSHA SOMAI MAGAR (09)
ELIZA OLI (10)
SHRUTI DYOLA (33)
SHYAM GAUTAM (34)
Futurism
• Indusrialized cubism
• Several views of an object
• Dynamic, fractured and fast moving
• Focused on projected future instances involving
mechinary
• At the level of the art Futurism can be defined as “
dynamic and renewing attitude aiming to project art and
life in future” – Verdone
• Merinette said : “We declare…..a new beauty, a beauty
of speed.”
• Key futurist principle: An elastic love for
violence ,glorification of war, amaniac love for
speed, technology and progress,rejection for all
the things past, notion of the new man of the
new technology, a drive to unleash man’s instinct
and release his creative potential, and be at the
centre of all the historical transformation.
Dynamism of the Cyclist by Umberto Boccioni
• Futurist preach the technological triumph of man
over nature.
• Futurist painters msade the rhythm of their
repetition of line.
• Inspired by some photographic experiment, they
were breaking motions into small sequences and
using wide range of angles within a given
timeframe all aimed to incorporate the dimension
of time within the picture. The City Rises by Umberto Boccioni
A century of futurist architecture

• Futurism is the first internationally recognized modern art movement .

• It had inclination towards high speed, advancement in technology, role of
youth in society and associated violence
• The introduction of transportation features like cars and aircraft into
society brought fascination into lives
• It gave the idea of life around such compelling mediums in the form of
industrial cities
• “we affirm that the world’s magnificence has been enriched by a new
beauty: beauty of speed
• Sant’Elia worked on futurist architectural principles and exhibited them
Futuristic architecture
• The new generation of futurist hypothesized about the vision for new
metropolises and megalopolis with flexible and more useful urban
environment
• Futurism as an artistic movement repudiated use of traditional forms and
adopted the revolutary impulse regrading possibilities that technology could
revive and amplify culture, dilapiadated lifestyle and the condition of cities
• Sant’Elia worked at the core of a fast-paced metropolis that was
experiencing some cardinal developments which created mass issues of
industrial and population growth
• The city of his ideas comprised of monolithic and Herculean skyscrapers
along with bridges and pedestrian walkways that bisected the sky
Dynamism of bodies in motion
• The Futurists were particularly excited by the works of
late 19th-century scientist and photographer Étienne-
Jules Marey, whose chronophotographic (time-based)
studies depicted the mechanics of animal and human
movement.
• A precursor to cinema, Marey’s innovative experiments
with time-lapse photography were especially influential
for Balla. In his painting Dynamism of a Dog on a
Leash, the artist playfully renders the dog's (and dog
walker's) feet as continuous movements through
space over time.
Antonio Sant’Elia
• His ideas
• He declared that the architecture must begin
again from the beginning.
• He called for an architecture of new
material, without ornament or decoration,
and an architecture of oblige and elliptical
line.
• He abandons the traditional architectural
presentation forms plan and elevationand
the emphasis on construction details and
relies entirely on perspective drawings
because they allowed him to convey the
atmosphere of urban dynamism.
1.That futuristic architecture is the aarchitecture of calculation, of audacious temerity
and of simplicity.

• The architecture of reinforced concrete, steel,

cardboard, textile fibre and of all those
substituents for wood stone and brick that enables
us to obtain maxm elasticity and lightness.

2. That futurist architecture is not because

of this arid combinationtion of practicality
and usefulness, but remains arts i.e.
synthesis and expression.
Antonio Sant’Elia, Citia Nuova drawing (1914)
4.That decoration as an element on
architecture is absurd and the
decorative value of the futurist
architecture solely depens on the use
and original arrangement raw or bare
or violently colored material.

House with external elevators, Antonio Sant’Elia

5.That, just as the ancients drew an inspiration for
their art from the elements of the nature , we – who
are materially and spiritually artificial – must find
that inspiration in the elements of the utterly
new mechnanical world we created , and of which
the architecture must be the most beautiful
expression, the most complete synthesis , the most
efficacious integration

Antonio Sant’Elia, drawing (1914)

6. That architecture as the art of arranging
forms according to pre established criteria is
finished.

7. By that the term architecture is meant the

endevour to harmonise the environment with
man with freedom and great audacity , that is to
transfer the world of things into a direct projection
to the world of spirit.

Power station, Antonio Sant’Elia

Evolution from futurism
1. ART DECOR
• Got it’s name from arts decoratifs- the international exhibition of modern
decorative and industrial modernism with eloquent materials and fine
craftsmanship
• Under the influence of dauntless geometric patterns of cubism and sharp
colors of fauvism
• Considered as futuristic style in 1920s and 1930s due to its streamlined use
of delicate forms
• The clean lines and minimal decoration of this style was associated with
entertainment and glamour
• Eg: Chrysler building
• Entranced by the idea of the “dynamic,”
the Futurists sought to represent an
object’s sensations, rhythms and
movements in their images, poems and
manifestos. Such characteristics are
beautifully expressed in Boccioni’s most
iconic masterpiece, Unique Forms of
Continuity in Space
• The choice of shiny bronze lends a
mechanized quality to Boccioni's
sculpture, so here is the Futurists’ ideal
combination of human and machine. The
figure’s pose is at once graceful and
forceful, and despite their adamant
rejection of classical arts, it is also very
similar to the Nike of Samothrace.

Nike of Samothrace
Chrysler building
Significance of an art deco building:
• Streamlining
• Bold shapes
• Colour
• Decoration
• Geometric shapes
Bauhaus
• It was originated in Germany in 1920s under Walter Gropius and gained
monument later in US in 1930
• Due to Nazi influence the pioneers of Bauhaus like Gropius, Mies van der Rohe
and others moved to US and since the American style Bauhaus was accepted
as international Bauhaus movement
• Tel Aviv holds the richest collection of international style Bauhaus building in
entire world
Bauhaus
Characteristics of International Bauhaus
Style of architecture:
• It avoids ornamentation and focuses on
the functionality of the building.
• Prefers asymmetrical forms and shapes
over regularized symmetry.
• It draws the contrast between space and
mass in architectural context.
• Buildings adopt a cubic form.
• Prefers right angles (as opposed to
Sant’Elia’s other notion).
• Smooth and curvilinear finishes are
induced.
Googie architecture
• Soon after the second world war, the fascist version of futurism was brought
down and futurism as a whole lost its monument
• It was favored in design of moving-public utilities such as a gas station,
motels, restaurants, cafes, etc.
• It earns it name from café in Hollywood designes by archtects John Lautner
in 1999
• Googie speaks of exaggeration and use of dramatic angles with materials
like steel and plastic coupled with fascination of neon
• Googie is produced by architects, not by ambitious mechanics, and some of
these architects strave for it
Googie architecture
Significance of a Googie building:
• Cantilevered roofs
• Starbursts
• Roofs sloping at an upward angle
• Hard angles

Ships coffee shop by Martin Stern Jr.

Neo futurism
• To create a clear distinction between the futurist architecture, futurism was
renamed as “neo futurist” by French architect Denis Laming, who designed
Futuroscope (a theme park rich in multimedia, cinematography and audio-
visuals.)
• It speaks of all futurist architecture
• According to Jeans- Louis Cohen, neo futurism is a repercussion of technology,
which uses most advance available resource to make future possible
Neo futurism
Significance of Neo-futurism in Architecture:
• The style is based on precision to fortify the maximum
degree of flexibility and frivolousness within the materials.
• It uses the architect’s determination to bring abstract and
decorative sense in the design.
• Futuristic buildings are supposed to last only for a short
period of time as the style believes in the idea that all
generations must dream and build their own cities. This idea
goes parallel with the original impulse of Sant’Elia.
• Futuristic buildings can be called futuristic as long as they are
updated regularly with the latest and most suitable technology.
• Advanced use of materials in design elements like a glass Jockey club innovation tower
cladded façade, lightweight aluminum construction, and
structural steel supports for enhanced and durable
performance.
• The variety of buildings in this realm is unrestricted and
minutely uncharted. Hence, it offers an abundance of
exploration for Architects.
Deconstructivism
• It is originated in 1982 through a competition entry by Jaccques Derrida and
Peter Eisenman
• Neo futurism and deconstructivism are linked with eachother in such a way
that it become difficult to determine where to draw the line of their differential
aspects.
• It relies on Computer aided design to visualizes various forms and
tendencies of materials and design elements
 Deconstructivism
Characteristics of Deconstructivism:
• It proposes fragmentation in design.
• Utilizes the exterior of the building.
• Curvilinear and pointeds shapes are dominant,
which are expected to keep the skeleton in a
dynamic state.
• The building structure has an organized order of
chaos and restorative unpredictability.

Royal Ontario museum

DE STIJL
INTRODUCTION
• De Stijl ,or The Style, is an design and art movement
found in Holland by painters and architects in 1917.
• Also known as Neo-Plasticism
• Founder: Piet Mondrian (painter) and Theo van
Doesburg (painter + architect)
• Utopian style of harmony and order
• The movement strives to express universal concept
through elimination, reduction, abstraction,
simplification and dynamic assymetrical balance of:
• planes
• rectangles
• verticles
• Horizontals
• Primary colors with black, white and grey
• Their work of art helped the public to the path to truth and purity
• Not to reflect the reality rather to express the harmony that they believed was the law of the universe
PIET MONDRIAN (1872–1911)
• Painter born in Amersfoort, Netherlands
• His work had an enormous influence on 20th century art, influencing the
course of abstract painting and numerous major styles and art
movements (e.g. Color field painting, Abstract Expressionism and
Minimalism).
• Began as an artist by painting realistic landscape ( used cubism).
Piet Mondrian, Evening; Red Tree
• Later he changed his style of painting, he didn’t want his painting (Cubism)
pictures to look like nature .
• He wanted to explore how the lines and color work together ( De Stijl).
• Over time, his work became very simple.
• He didn’t use any detail and used only few colors: primary (red, blue,
yellow) with black, white and grey.
• Besides the colors, Piet liked to use verticle and horizontal lines in his
art.
• He was always trying to find the perfect balance in his art.
Composition on red, blue and yellow
• Sometimes he used the line with varying thickness . Other times he (De Stijl)
would place the lines far apart or close together.
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Flat roof, asymmetry, geometric form, white or grey
walls with details highlighted by primary colors
• Houses for individuals are most important
• Composition generally emphasizes the separation of
planes, application of primary colors and spatial
relationships of solids to void
• Rectangular shapes defines the geometric repetition of
the windows, doors and block of colors
• Window sizes vary in an individual building from large
to window. They maybe arranged in patterns or one in
a large window.
• Flat roofs are typical and distinctively different from
other structure.
• Decoratives are limited in De stijl and important
elements are highlighted by primary colors
• There is no decorative motifs in De stijl , instead
beauty evolves from simple, geometric relationships
Reitvield schroder house

• Architect : Gerrit Thomas Rietveld

• The Schroder House is the only building
that was designed in complete accordance
with the De Stijl style,  which was marked
by primary colors and pure ideas. 
• commissioned by Ms Truus Schröder-
Schräder and her three childrens.
• She envisioned a house that was free from
association and create a connection
between the interior and exterior.
Plan
• No static accumulation of room inside, but a dynamic
changeable open zone
• Get the building is a particularly flexible, both outside
and within
• The flexibility of space meant that there was no
hierarchical arrangement of rooms in the floor plan.
• Ground floor- traditional arrangement : ranged
around a central staircase are kitchen/dining, reading
room and sits/bedrooms.
• Upper floor : contained bedrooms and storage space,
only separated by portable partitions.
• The collapsable walls upstairs positioned around a
central staircase were designed to provide the
children with an option of pushing the partitions in
during the day for an open play space and closing
them at night for private bedrooms. 
Facade
• Collage of planes and lines,
each component has its own
form, position and color.
• Colours were chosen tp
strengthen the plasticity of the
facades.
• Little distinction between the
interior and exterior.
• The rectilinear line flows from
interior to the exterior with the
same color palette and
surfaces.

• Windows hinged so that they can open up to 90 degree to the wall, preserving strict design
standards about intersection planes.
INTERIOR
Communication of geometrical proportiona, programs and mutability of spaces
Construction
• Initially, Rietveld wanted to built the whole
house in concrete . It turned out to be too
expensive to do that on that small building.
• The balconies and the foundations of the
building were the only parts of the building to be
built in concrete.
• Walls were made up of brick and plaster.
• The window frames and doors were made from
wood as well as floors, which were supported
by wooden beams.
• To support the building, steel girders were used
with the wire mesh.
Miscellaneous

Richard Meier's City Hall in The Hague, Netherlands Interior Café l'Aubette by Theo van Doesburg
FURNITURE
• Furniture and decorative art are conceived
as one with the architecture and interior
design.
• Designer simply emphasis the structure,
construction, proportion and the balance
between solid and void relationship.
• They carefully place different individual
parts to develop visual balance and
harmony so that all parts are appreciated
alone as well as in context with the whole
furniture piece.
• Chairs and tables are the most important
conveyers of the concepts.
• Furniture compliments the architectonic
character of an interior through its
emphasis on straight lines, rectangular
planes and geometric forms.
Zig zag chair by Gerrit Reitveld
AMSTERDAM SCHOOL STYLE OF
ARCHITECTURE
Amsterdam school style of architecture is a
Part of international expressionist
architecture.
The expressionist architecture of the
Amsterdam school was the most successful
Style of 1920s.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AMSTERDAM
SCHOOL STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE
• The school of amsterdam style was largely influenced by
expressionism. It ia a type of brick expressionism.
• Buildings were often built in round and expressive forms, with towers,
ornamental spires and decorative windows and doors.
•Wrought iron elements, usually painted
black or very dark green (so called
amsterdam green), were used as simple
decorative or functional elements.

•Usually painted white or again dark

green, completes the buildings.
• Buildings of the Amsterdam School are characterized by
• brick construction with complicated masonry with a rounded or organic
appearance,
• integration of an elaborate scheme of building elements inside and out:
• decorative masonry,
• art glass,
• wrought ironwork,
 • spires or "ladder" windows (with horizontal bars), and integrated
architectural sculpture.

•The aim was to create a total architectural experience, interior and exterior.
WORKERS’ PALACE HET SCHIP

• ‘Het Schip’ (The ship) was built between 1914 and 1921 as a working
man’s palace. The three buildings comprise low-rent housing for
labourers, a post office and a tower.
DE DAGERAAD
De Dageraad (The Dawn) is a complex built by the social housing
association and its name, drawn from the symbolism of a rising sun. 
HET NIEUWE HUIS
It continues to function as an apartment complex where single people
are granted freedom and comfort. Today, the restaurant is closed
and the space has been expanded into a public library. 
HET SIERAAD
Het Sieraad was designed by architect A.J. Westerman and built in
1921. The two most important Amsterdam School materials,
bricks and wrought iron, are heavily used. Today the building is a
hub for the creative industries.